Good Morning,
As I think I may have mentioned, Meghan Daum, checked out my blog! : ) Her advice to me was to link my life to world events, those that speak to the Universal nature in all of us…
Well, the crapper’s down in the International Space Station!?!
Wednesday May 28, 2008 the headlines read:
"International Space Station’s Sole Toilet is out of order" (CNN.com)
Like most Americans I sat awaiting another Congressional prayer edict but none came. I envisioned three very constipated men sweating more bullets than the Apollo 13 crew trying to figure out with mission control how to jam a square peg into a round hole…
Thankfully, the NASA project manager Scott Higginbotham was able to reassure us:
"Clearly, having a working toilet is a priority for us, so some of these things that we didn't need for the next six months or so could wait…”
According to Mr, Higginbotham (pronounced Higgin Bottom. I know I went to high school with his daughter), the solid waste collection system is still functioning properly.
What is not functioning is the fan that separates the pee from the air in the urine collection system.
According to news reports, the two Russian cosmonauts and the one American flight engineer have three options
Options: bag it, use the toilet in the attached emergency craft until it’s full…and pray
7 new crew members will be arriving soon.
As a handicapable American, I'd like to encourage the flight engineer Dr. Reisman to consider using this time as an opportunity to uniquely serve the world’s disabled citizens.
Please do us a favor and start conducting social psychology experiments. I’ve noticed something very odd that seems to happen in the handicap accessible stall...there was whoever stopped it up and the apparent line of patrons/people who followed. I want to know why the second person saw what happened with the first and decided they too would go in there…
And here’s my point...
In life? Nothing gets your attention quicker than when your shitter is broken…
Thursday May 29
We all became hopeful as we learned of plans for toilet repair.
"A NASA official is flying the pump from Russia to Orlando and driving it to the Kennedy Space Center..."
I admit for the better part of a morning i was lost in the giddy details
"...the 1 1/2-foot-long pump and related hardware, was packed in a diplomatic pouch and carried onto a commercial jetliner as 35 pounds of hand luggage. It will be packed aboard the Discovery shuttle scheduled for launch this Saturday.
(I like this man...whoever's carrying the pump : )
Friday May 30 difficult choices were made
The NASA payload specialists were having the same difficulties as the trunk packing engineer readying for the family vacation or weekend road trip.
In? the toilet pump, Japan’s “hope” lab (the size of a 35ft. school bus) and Buzz Lightyear (the toy/action figure)
Out? Some wrenches, an oxygen generator, and a microbe-killing device.
And here’s my final thought.
Today at 1:54pm it will be a historic moment as Discovery docks with the International Station Station and delivers a toilet pump.
No mater that I lost my peace for several hours, I can now steady my mind with the knowing that it's not just me...A broken crapper can bring a halt to man in his most capable form of endeavor, NASA space exploration.
Happy Monday,
Amanda
NASAT
National Advocate for Safe and Accessible Toilets
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